IE9 appears to feature a more minimalistic design than its predecessors and while the Back button and a combined URL and search box remain, Foley pointed out that there's no menu items including 'Favorites' and 'Suggested Sites'.

According to the text that accompanied the screenshot, Microsoft said the menu items have "been consolidated into one". "Now the user sees only what you need to navigate."

Microsoft is also thought to have built on the Windows 7 Aero Snap feature. 'Tear-off tabs' will allow users to drag a tab into a new window, ensuring they can be compared next to each other in the same screen.

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